Lace web and process of making lace strips therefrom



April 11, 1944. s Dm 2,346,195

LACE WEB AND PROCESS OF MAKING LACE STRIPS THEREFROM Filed April 1, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1. 7 1.;

. 32 v 55 I? no no oo oo n o0 5- INVENTOR April 11, 1944. J. SPALDING 2,346,195

LACE WEB AND PROCESS OF MAKING LACE STRIPS THEREFROM Filed April 1, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheei 2 INVENTOR JO/l/Z @Oaizgg BY v Wi-M ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LACE WEB AND PROCESS OF MAKING LACE STRIPS THEREFRQM John Spalding, Stratford, Conn.

Application April 1, 1941, Serial No. 386,246 (01. 87-4) 11 Claims.

included which extend lengthwise of the web,

and serve to connect together the adjacent edges of the bands or strips.

These threads, commonly called draw threads, may be removed by drawing them out in broken sections or they may be made of material of entirely different composition from that of the threads of the lace and of such composition that they may be dissolved out as disclosed in my patent No. 1,665,230 issued April 10, 1928. The solvent for the draw threads may act on the web as it is passed through a tank as specifically disclosed in said patent or may be dissolved out while the web is in rolled form as disclosed in by patent No. 1,865,218 issued June 28, 1932.

In addition to the draw threads, there may be rover threads which connect the draw thread to the adjacent edge portions of the strips of lace. They are usually placed in the lace loops so that when the draw threads are removed the rover thread i free to fall away. They may pass around the draw threads but not intentionally around any thread of the lace itself. They may be of a readily soluble material and dissolved out along with the draw threads.

If the threads are manually removed, there is the liability of breaking or cutting threads of the laceitself, and there is the liability of soiling or mussing the lace during the manual handling, so that later dry cleaning or other operation is necessary. If the threads are dissolved out, a solvent is required and purification or distillation of the solvent is necessary, due to the accumulation therein of the material going into solution. Either operation requires time and expense.

The main object of my invention is to facilitate removal of these draw threads and rover threads, if the latter be employed, without hand work, without the necessity of drawing or cutting the threads, without liability of injury to the lace, and without the need for a solvent or other wetting agent.

A further object is to reduce the time required in the treatment of the webs between the time they leave the machine in which they are made until the final lace strips are ready for packaging and delivery.

I accomplish these results by making the threads, or at least some of them, which are to be removed, of such a material that they are easily broken by lateral stretching of the web, at least in the vicinity-of such threads. Thus the web may be continuously delivered through suitable apparatus in which the threads are broken and the lace strips freed from each other.

In carrying out my invention, I utilize threads formed of such material that the threads have adequate strength in the manufacture and subsequent treatments of the web as a whole, but which have comparatively little strength when subjected to a temperature which is not sufil-' ciently high to injure the lace. Thus by heating the threads and at the same time subjecting them to slight tension, they readily break during the progressive advancement of the web. As an example of such material, I may employ threads of such synthetic materials as those made from vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate mixtures, or those commonly sold under the trade name of Nylon or Vinyon or other analogous threads having low tensile strength at temperatures above that at which-the threads are commonly used in the making-oi stockings or other garthe edges of the lace and around the draw threads so that as the transverse connecting runs of the rover thread or threads break under tension and heat, the loops of the rover thread or threads will remain connected to or hanging on the draw threads, and as the draw threads do not actually pass through the lace, they become freed from the lace by the breaking of the rover thread and maybe lifted ofi, carrying with them the loops of the rover thread.

Various different arrangements of rover threads and draw threads may be employed, depending upon the type of lace being manufactured and the operation of the machine making the lace web. It is only essential that some thread pass back and forth between the edges as illustration,

' of adjacent lace strips so that these transverse portions may be successively heated and broken.

By separating the lace strips in the manner above described, no action takes place which would or could adversely ai'l'ect any dye, starch or other material with which the web had been treated; the lace strips, after being separated, do not require to be handled or further treated, and may be delivered directly to reels in which they are wound up for delivery.

By means of my invention, it is possible to move a hand tool progressively over the connecting threads, so as to simultaneously apply heat and pressure, or it is possible to employ a plurality of heating tools spaced apart to distances corresponding to the width of the lace strips and to move the web past the series of heating elements so that the movement of the web exerts the necessary tension on the heated threads or so that guides act on the edge portions of the strips to laterally deflect them and put under tension the threads which are being heated. Tension is not essential to the breaking of the rovers but it prevents the rovers from bending away from the heating element and also it holds the lace in position with the deepest cut edge next to the heating element.

, In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a few types or designs of lace and several difierent types of apparatus which may be employed. These are to be considered purely as a wide variety of lace designs.-" and many difierent types of apparatus maybe used.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a face view'ofa portion of aweb of lace including a plurality of bands or strips connected together.

Fig. 2 is a, greatly magnified View of the ad:

jacent edges of two bands or strips showing the.

draw threads and rover threads with additional threads connecting the rover threads to the draw threads.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to a small portion of Fig. 2, but showing another way in which the rover threads may be connected to the drawthreads.

Fig. 3a is a sectional view showing still an- 'other connection between draw threads and rover.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of an apparatus having a plurality of heating elements for acting on the rover threads but showing the parts very diagrammatically.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the construction shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of another type of apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of another construction.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of another type of heating device.

Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a top plan view of still another form.

Fig. 15 is a transverse section on the line l5l 5 of Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a section through another form of apparatus.

1 Fig. 17 is a section on the line l1-l1 of Fig.

Fig. 18 is a top plan view of another type of apparatus.

Fig. 19 is a side elev tion of the construction shown in Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is a side elevation of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figs. 18 and 19, but on a much larger scale.

Fig. 21 isan edge view of the form shown in Fig. 20.

Fig. 22 is a rather diagrammatical view of a further form.

Fig. 23 is a longitudinal section through another form of heating apparatus.

Fig. 24 is a section on the line 24-24 of Fig. 23.

p Fig. 25 is a sectional view of another form. Fig. 26 is a. plan view of another form.

In Fig. 1 there is shown a portion of a lace web made up of a plurality of bands or strips A with connecting threads therebetween and diagrammatically indicated as B.

In the form shown in Fig. 2, which as pre at the same time passes around the draw thread D which lies across the loop C of the lace. Although two such rover threads are illustrated, many designs of lace require only, one rover thread, and in some cases there may be more than two. From an inspection of Fig. 2, it. will be apparent that if each transverse run of each rover thread is cut or broken intermediate of its ends, the draw-threads may be lifted off the lace and will carry with them the separate sections of the rover thread by reason of the fact that each such section has a loop passing around the-draw thread. In order to insure that the sections of the severed rover thread be pulled away'=from the lace by lifting up of the draw threads, various means may be employed if necessary, to hold the loops of the rover threads to the draw-threads.

In Fig. 2 there are shown two auxiliary threads. F,*,each wound around a corresponding draw thread, and at the same time passing through the loops E of the rover threads, so as to hold the rover thread sections on the draw threads when the draw threads are removed after severing or breaking the rover threads.

In Fig. 3 a difierent means is employed. Here each rover thread E has a double loop E passing completely around the draw thread. In Fig. 311 there is indicated a construction in which there are two draw threads A on the edge of each lace strip and the rover thread C. The rover threads pass entirely around one draw thread of each pair and pass between the two draw threads of each pair so that the rover thread sections will more effectively hang on to the draw threads when the latter are taken off.

In many constructions it is not essential that there be employed any such auxiliary thread as that shown at F in Fig. 2, or any such double loop as shown at E in Fig. 3 or any such duplication of draw threads as shown in Fig. 3a.. These are mere expedients which may be employed in case there be any tendency of any of rover threads in the form shown are made of a material, which, when heated at-a temperature above the normal temperature of use but-below any temperature which would adversely affect the lace in the time required to cause the rover threads to be :broken, or any dye or other ma terial carried thereby, will have very low tensile strength.

As previously indicated, a wide variety of different types of apparatus may be employed for applying the heat to the threads which are to be subdivided and if necessary to impart the lateral tension to the strips. Such means should be so designed that the heating elements may be spaced apart to any desired distance depending upon the width of the strips and may be easily adjusted. In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 one type of such apparatus is illustrated. This includes a tube 30 which is internally heated and has mounted thereon a series of bands 3|, each having a thread heating element or pin or blade 32 projecting therefrom. The bands are adjustable lengthwise of the tube and may be held in place by spacers, set screws, or merely by friction. The tube, bands and separating elements 32 are preferably of metal or other good heat conducting material.

The tube may be internally heated in various different ways. It may contain a high boiling point, low vapor pressure substance such as mercury, diphenyl or the likewhich may be circulated through the tube or sealed within the tube and heated by a heating element in said substance. The heating element may be an electric heater or a tube through which a heated fluid such as superheated steam is circulated. I have illustrated an inner tube 33 through which heating fluid may be circulated or in which an electric heating element may be placed, the high boiling point, lower vapor pressure being between the tubes 30 and 33.

To avoid heat losses, the tube 30 and its bands are enclosed in insulation. As shown, this includes two substantially semi-cylindrical sections 34 which abut on the lower edges and which are spaced apart at the upper edges to leave a slot through which the thread heating elements extend. These insulating sections may be held in place in any suitable manner and may be readily removed for adjusting the spacing between the bands 3| and thread heating elements. In connection with the thread heating elements, there are preferably employed spreader pins 35, there being two for eachthread heating element and spaced upon opposite sides thereof. Thus, as the thread heating elements cut the rover, the edges of the separated strips are turned up or pushed laterally, so that each separated strip passes between a pair of spreader pins. This lateral deflecting of the edges of the lace strips beyond the thread heating elements applies tension to the threads at the point where they come in contact with the thread heating elements and cause the threads to break as their tensile strength is reduced by the heating. These spreader pins may be mounted in holes in one of the insulating sections 34 or in various other ways.

Another arrangement which may be employed is shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. In this case there is provided a bar 40 of insulating material provided with two channels or grooves 4|. The thread heating elements are in the form of loopsor projections 42 connecting a pair of blades 43 mounted in the channels 4|. The parts 42; 43 are of heat conducting material and the plates 43 may be spaced apart by spacer blocks 44 which may be of -various different thicknesses and of good conducting material such for instance as copper. The correct number of spacers of the right thickness are inserted between the two plates of each thread heating element and the plates of the next one depending upon the width of the lace strips to be separated. The plates and spacers are tightly clamped together so as to provide good electric conduction and the series of plates and spacers in one groove are connected to one terminal of an electric circuit and those of the other groove to the other terminal, so that the electricity will flow through each of the heating elements 42. These elements are of such cross section and such material that the resistance of flow of current to them will cause them to be heated to the required temperature. In order to increase conductivity an electrolyte may be poured over the spacer blocks before they are clamped together. This electrolyte should have sufficiently high vapor pressure so that it does not evaporate easily. To reduce the resistance, certain of the spacer blocks may be directly connected to the conductor wires.

In connection with the form shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, there will be employed spreader pins which may be similar to those above described. They may be inserted in holes in one wall of the insulation bar 40 or may be supported on a separate bar parallel thereto.

Another form which may be employed is shown in Figs. 1 0 to 13, inclusive. In this construction there are employed a series of porcelain blocks 50 and a heating element in the form of a wire 5| having a loop projecting above the block and terminal portions extending down along the sides. The wire may be supported by a pair of spring clamps'52 engaging opposite sides of the porcelain block. A pair of bars 53 have recesses in the opposed faces so that the blocks 50 may be inserted in the recesses and clamped in spaced relationship as shown in Fig. 10. The thread heating elements 5| extend transversely of the general direction of the bars 53. The bars 53 are of conducting material and one is connected to one terminal and the other to the other terminal of the electric circuit so that the current may pass from one bar 53 to the other through the clamps 52 and the thread heating elements 5|. This construction is very inexpensive to manufacture but requires separate bars 53 with difierent spacing of the recesses in accordance with each width of lace strips to be separated. The bars and all parts carried thereby except the thread heating elements 5| are preferably inclosed in any suitable insulating material which may serve to support the spreader pins.

A further form is shown in Figs. 14 and 15.

Here there are provided a pair of electric conducting bars 60, 6|, insulated from each other and supporting insulating blocks each having a base 62 and an upwardly extending arm 63. The base carries a pair of pins, 65 which extend down into apertures in the bars 60," 6| respectively. An

electric heating element such as a wire 66 is secured to the pin 64 and to a spring 61 carried by the upper end of the arm 63. This spring is connected by a conductor 68 to the pin 65. Thus current may flow from the bar 60 through the pin 64, wire 66, spring 61, conductor 68 and pin 65 to the other bar 6|. The insulating bar 63 may serve as the spreader element.

To facilitate adjustment of the positions of the thread heating wires 66 in accordance with the width of the webs to be separated, the bars 60, 6| may have a series of holes along the lengths thereof so that the insulating blocks may be adjusted to any desired position along the length of the bars and the pins 64, 65 inserted in the appropriate holes. In order to get fine adjustment and to distances far less than the spacing between the centers-of the holes, there may be a plurality of rows of such holes, the holes of each row being set off slightly from those of the next one so that the pins may be inserted in the holes of any pair of rows. Obviously, this may involve an adjustment of the heating element back or forth across the bars and in the direction of movement of the web, but this is entirely immaterial because it is not essential that all of the rover threads be heated and broken in a single line transversely of the web. This construction has the advantage over other formspreviously described, in the ease with which adjustment of the spacing of the thread heating elements may be obtained.

In Figs. 16 and 17 a further form is shown in which each thread heating and break element comprises an insulating plate 10 having imbedded therein a heating element in the form of a flat .metal strip ll wrapped helically around a metal plate 12. The heating element may be encased in mica or other thin insulation so that current is not conducted to the plate '12 but which will not prevent said plate from being heated to the required temperature. Electricity may be conducted to one end of the resistance element H from a terminal 13 and may be'conducted to the other terminal through a terminal 14 and a bimetallic or. thermo switch 15 encased in a cover 15. If the plate 12 becomes too hot the bimetallic switch will bend and break the circuit. As the plate cools, the switch will move back and again close the circuit. Thus there is a safety means which prevents the plate from becoming overheated. A series of these elements such as shown in Figs. 16 and 17 may be mounted in any suitable manner on a support and adjustable along the latter. As the web passes the elements, the edge of the plate 12 which extends beyond the end of the insulation 10 contacts the threads to heat them and the insulation body has its edge portion adjacent to the exposed edge of the plate 12, tapered or bevelled so that it acts as the spreader to apply tension to the threads being heated and broken.

Another form is shown in Figs. 18 to 21. This construction, particularly as shown in Figs. 20

- and 21, may be similar in some respects to that shown in Figs. 14 and 15. An insulating base 80 carries a pair of pins 8|, 82 to which electricity is conducted as in the form shown in Figs. 14 and 15. A bracket 83 of conducting material is secured to the Pin 82 and a resistance wire 84 connects the pin 8| and the end of the bracket 83. In this case the spreading is efiected by a w plate 85 which maybe bent to substantially V shape, as shown particularly in Fig. 18 with its bend closely adjacent to and parallel with, but spaced from the heating element 84. Each wing of the plate may have upturned lower edge portions 86 which form grooves holding the web above the base 80 and the electric connections thereon. In Figs. 18 and 19, I have shown how the construction illustrated in Figs. 20 and 21, or for that matter in any of the other forms above referred to, may be mounted in connection with the web. The web may be delivered from a roll G and between a pair of spaced bars 8'! closely adjacent to but spaced from the thread heating elements. The heating elements are located at the required distance apart corresponding to the width of the lace strips A so as to register with the connecting threads C. As the web passes the heating elements, the edges of the strips are defiected by the spreader and the separated strips may then be separately re-Wound. Although it is not essential, it is in some cases desirable to have to separate reels H and I so that each alternate lace strip may go to one reel and the others to the other reel. Thus the strips in being separated are deflected in different planes and the operator may readily observe Whether or not there has been any failure of the heating elements to operate properly and may observe the edges of the separated strips to see whether the work is being properly done. The draw threads D with the loops of the rover thread hanging thereon may be drawn away by a pair of rollers 88 and the draw threads may be kept under proper tension by passing over a roller 89 and an idler 89a supported by loops in the draw threads suspended between the roller 89 and the pull rolls 88.

It is desirable that the heating element be at the proper temperature which will insure the breaking of the threads under the desired relatively low tension. If the heating element is not hot enough, too great tension may be required and if the heating element be excessively hot, it might have an undesirable effect on the lace strips. The heating may be automatically controlled in accordance with the tension required to break the strips. Such an arrangement is shown somewhat diagrammatically in Fig. 22. Here the heating'element 90 is connected at one end to a terminal 9| and at the other end to a pin 82 which may oscillate and which is carried by a support 93. The pin 92 is connected to a rheostat, as for instance by means of an arm 94 movable over the contacts of a conductor 95. With the normal amount of heat and tension, the parts will be in the position shown in solid lines. If the tension is too great, the heating element 90 will be pushed toward the right, for instance to the position shown in dotted lines, and this will move the arm 63 along the conductor 95 so as to reduce the amount of resistance and cause the heating element to be heated to a higher temperature. The increase in temperature will permit the threads to break under lower tension and the parts will tend to go back to the position shown in solid lines. In other words, the amount of heating is automatically controlled in accordance with the tension required to break the heated threads.

Although, in practice, it is preferable to mount the thread heating elements on suitable supports and to continuously feed the web past them, it will be apparent that in some cases it may be desirable to manually move the heating element along each line of division between adjacent lace strips. In Figs. 23 and 24, there is shown a hand tool having a head I of insulating material, from which the thread heating element IOI projects at the end, as shown in Fig. 23, or also along opposite sides as shown at I02 in Fig. 24. The head may be connected to a handle I03 by a sleeve I04 and an electric heating element I05 may be mounted inside of the metal sleeve I06 which forms a part of or carries the thread heating elements. The heating element I05 may be provided with suitable conductors I01 which extend through the sleeve I04 and the handle I03.

This tool may be used manually'or a series of, the tools may be mounted on a suitable support and operate to heat the threads and break them by the tension resulting from the spreading apart of the strips as they pass over or around the head I00.

In Fig. 2.5 is shown -a form on which a mercury trough I08 serves as one conductor and a bar I09 of conducting material serves as the other. The web is placed over the bar and pins H0 are placed in openings in the bar which register with the spaces between the strips. The bar is then turned over so that the pins extend downwardly into the mercury and the Web is passed between the mercury and the bar so that the pins heat the rover threads.

In Fig. 26 the heating elements in form of loops of wire III have their ends placed between pairs of bars H2 and H3 and at the proper spacing. The two bars of each pair are then clamped together to hold the ends of the heaters in the spaced relationship and one or both bars of one pair serve as one conductor and one or both bars of the other pair serve as the other conductor.

From the foregoing it will be seen that various types of apparatus may be employed for carrying out my improved process. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated only a few of the many possibilities along this line. In each of the mechanical devices means are provided for easily and quickly moving the heating elements away from the lace in case something goes wrong.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The process of making lace strips, which includes forming a plurality of strips side by side but spaced apart and connected together by rover threads extending transversely of the dividing lines between the adjacent strips and interconnecting them, said rover threads being of synthetic nitrogenous material of less tensile strength when heated than those forming said strips.

2. A lace web including a plurality of lace strips spaced apart, a rover thread extending transversely of the dividing line between adjacent strips and interconnecting said strips, said rover thread being of lower tensile strength at elevated temperatures than the threads forming the body portions of said strips. 4

3. The process of making lace strip which includes forming a plurality of strips side by side and connected together by transversely extending threads of a material difierent from that of the body of the lace and which has low tensile strength when heated, subjecting said threads to heat to lower the tensile strength and putting said threads under tension to break them.

4. The process of making lace strips which includes forming a plurality of strips side by side and connected together by transversely extending threads of a material different from that of the body of the lace and which has low tensile strength when heated, and subjecting said threads to tension and to such heat as will causethem to break under the tension to which they are subjected.

5. The process of making lace strips which includes'forming a plurality of strips side by side and connected together by transversely extending threads of a material diflerent from that of the body of the lace and which has low tensile strength when heated, heating said threads and simultaneously breaking them by the action of strain applied transversely of the web.

6. The process of making lace strips which includes forming a web of strips connected together'by draw threads superposed on said strips and rover threads looped through said strips and looped around said threads, heating the transversely extending portions of said rover threads between the draw threads, subjecting said portions to tension to cause successive transversely extending portions to break under said tension and remove the draw threads with the successive separated loops of rover thread thereon.

7. A lac'e web including a plurality of lace strips, each two adjacent strips being connected together edge to edge by a pair or draw threads overlying the edge portions of the strips an a rover thread, looped through the edge portions of the strips and around said draw threads, said rover thread having lower tensile strength at elevated temperatures than the threads of the lace. I

8. A fabric Web including a plurality offlat sections each adapted to form a finished lace strip, a pair of spaced draw threads at adjacent edges of said sections, and a rover thread extending back and forth across the dividing line between adjacent sections and interconnecting said draw threads and said sections, said rover thread having low tensile strength when heated, whereby said sections may be separated and said draw threads freed from said sections by applying heat and tension to successive transverse runs of said rover thread tobreak them.

9. A fabric web including a plurality of flat sections each adapted to form a finished lace strip, a pair of spaced draw threads overlying the edge portions of said sections, and a rover thread looped through the adjacent portions of said sections and around said draw threads, and having transverse runs connecting said draw threads, said rover thread having low tensile strength when heated, whereby said sections may be separated by applying heat and tension to said transverse runs of said rover thread to break them, and whereby the draw threads --are freed from said sections upon breaking of said successive transverse runs.

10. A lace web including a plurality of lace strips, each two adjacent strips being connected together edge to edge by a pair of draw threads overlying the edge portions of said strips, and a rover thread looped through the edge portions of said strips and around said draw threads, and having successive transverse runs connecting said draw threads, said rover thread being of a different material from said draw threads, and of low tensile strength when heated, whereby said transverse runs may be broken, said lace strips separated, and said draw threads freed from said lace strips by applying heat and tension to said transverse runs.

and having suflicient tensile strength to prevent breakage during manufacture of the web, and A sufficiently low tensile strength at elevated temperature to permit transverse runs of said rover thread to be broken by subjecting them to heat and tension after completion of the web.

JOHN SPALDING. 

